Why Not Live?
by Zumiez
Summary: The gang is now seven years older. Otto, Twist, and Sam are 16/17. Reggie and Lars are 18/19. Everyone is preparing for college, which includes crazy college parties of course. But what issues will ensue?
1. The Rockets

A/N:  
Alright my fellow Rocket Power lovers : ) I'm sure ya'll know by now that Klasky Csupo owns Rocket Power and the characters. I hope you're excited for this story because I know I am! This chapter will be a little boring, but the next one will be better. So keep reading!

"Reggie!" A voice echoed through the house. It wasn't in anger, but to get her attention.

"Yeah, Ray?" She howled down the stairs crawling out of her bed. Things at the Rocket house hadn't changed significantly in seven years. The living room looked the same besides a new LCD TV sat on the TV stand. Same old couch, same surfboard. The only huge difference was now Breezy and Ray were married. Well, and she was seven years older along with her brother. Now she was searching for THE college to go to.

"UCLA is on the phone. And Minnesota State is sending a representative over, they should be here within the hour." He said walking into her room, the phone in his hand.

"Hello?" Reggie said into the receiver, scratching her head as she was waking up. 'Its seven a.m. why on earth are they calling?' was the thought filling her head. Her purple hair now accented with bleach blonde, and standing 5'7" she wandered through her room. Still slim as she was when she was merely 11, now 18. Feet bare, pink short, and a blue tank top clung to her as she listened to the UCLA rep on the phone.

"Okay. I will look into it. I'm looking into numerous schools right now." She said staring at the college brochures tacked onto her peg board.

"Thank you for calling. And thank you for the offer." She said hanging up.

"What did they offer?" Ray asked. He wasn't concerned about the money, he had enough to go around.

"Room, board, and seventy-five percent of my tuition." Reggie said tacking the offer to the school brochure.

"Standford's offer still on the table?" Ray asked looking at the forty or so brochures on her board and all the offers.

"Full ride, room and board included." She said pointing out the offer.

"Know where you're going yet?" He asked. She knew he was asking because he didn't want her going too far.

"No idea. I have the entire school year to figure it out."

"SHUT THE HELL UP!" Came a voice raging from the next room over and a pillow thudding against the wall.

"Otto watch your language!" Ray yelled.

"You want breakfast?" Reggie asked moving around her room.

"Yeah, sure." Ray said following her down the stairs.

"Where's Breezy?" Reggie asked grabbing pancake mix from the cabinet.

"Opening The Shack." Ray said sitting at the table.

"Good morning Rocket crew!" A soft voice rolled through the household.

"Morning, Nikkie!" Reggie howled mixing the batter and starting the griddle.

"Morning, hun." Ray said starting a pot of coffee.

Nikkie was a brilliant girl, bright green eyes, shoulder length blonde hair, and a gorgeous smile. Her hips covered with a black, mid-thigh, skirt with grey flowers all over, a dark blue v-neck and a pair of grey knit Ugg boots were on her feet. "When are we going to go colleges, missy?" She said enthusiastically pulling out a pan to make bacon. Nikkie was Reggie's best friend, no questions asked.

"Its Saturday and I can hear you all the way upstairs." Otto clamored down the stairs, a pair of black basketball shorts, and a white t-shirt. "Morning, Nikkie." Otto said sitting at the table. Now six feet tall, toned and a total mop head. At sixteen he was doing okay in school, nothing compared to his sister, but at least he's passing is what Ray always said.

"Morning Otto." She said putting the bacon on a plate. Somehow Nikkie managed to be over here early, almost every day. If she wasn't there she was at the Rodriguez's house.

"How was seeing your mom?" He asked and watched her face fall. He regretted asking immediately. Otto was a bonehead but he knew when Nikkie's feelings were hurt. He'd only had a crush on her for six years, ever since she transferred to their school and became Reggie's best friend. "Oh, Nikkie. I'm sorry. I didn't mean to upset you. I thought it'd go well." Everyone was a little on edge waiting for her response.

"No, no. It's fine. She refused to come talk to me. Officer Shirley was there with me. I didn't even want them to try and get her to come. She's possibly up for parole next year. I pray she doesn't get out. I know what she did." Everyone knew what Nikkie's mother had done, well, the stories at least. No one knew for sure what had really happened that night. Except for Nikkie, but according to the investigation she was too young to know or understand what had happened.

"Well, if she gets out you know you're welcome to hide out here." Ray said with a smile as the two girls finished up making breakfast.

"Means the world, Ray." She said sitting at the table with the Rockets. "Should I head to The Shack and help Breezy out?" Nikkie asked as she started eating the pancakes.

"Do you want me to go today? It's not a big deal, maybe you need a day to relax." Reggie said as she shoved a pancake in her mouth.

"No, sweetie. I'm fine. I love working every day. Its fantastic, it really helps." Her smile was bright as she grabbed an empty water bottle from the counter and filled it with orange juice.

"Wait, weren't you supposed to be at Menards this morning?" Ray asked as he started putting dishes into the sink.

"First Saturday off in six months. I got the weekend off from Tony. He knew about the meeting with my mother and thought I might want to take it easy. I'm probably going to stop in there. See if I can pick up someone's Sunday." She replied shaking up the bottle.

"You really try and work all the time, huh?" Otto said. He knew Nikkie needed to keep herself busy.

"Well that's why I changed my school schedule, so I could work every single morning. I only have three classes this year. I just have to be at school by 12:15. And a lot of the colleges seem to find it amazing that I work so much. All the extra money helps to pay for college." She smiled and was getting ready to leave for The Shack.

"Did you drive?" Ray asked her.

"No, I stayed the night at the Rodriguez's. Its totally fine to walk though." Nikkie replied.

"Let me take you." Ray said and grabbed his keys. Reggie smiled. She hated seeing Nikkie like this. She knew Nikkie only stayed the night at the Rodriguez's if something was really upsetting her.

"It really is no big deal. Don't worry." Her smile was lightly fading.

"No, I'm taking you. Lets go, missy." He ushered her out the door.


	2. Isn't Life Funny?

A/N: Alright, here's the next chapter. I hope it catches your attention, POVs will now change so pay attention to (POV: Reggie) it will make your life easier : )

(Reggie's POV)

"Do you think she will be okay?" I asked Otto as I started to wash the dishes.

"I sure hope so. She stayed with Lars last night. You know she's hurting." Otto's face turned. As much as he despised Lars for numerous things, Lars was Nikkie's best friend. Yes, Reggie was her best friend but Nikkie would choose Lars. He had saved her from a lot, as had Reggie.

"Yeah. It breaks my heart when I know she is hurting so much. She works so much. She works until 9 a.m. at Menards every day, then goes to The Shack until 12. Then off to school. And she's either working at The Shack or Menards after school too. You know how much money that girl makes?" I asked remembering when I had taken her to cash her checks. She had plenty of money to buy a car, but was saving every last penny for college.

"I know it's a lot. She works so much. But I understand why. She's so independent. If Amanda's family hadn't offered, Nikkie would have been completely on her own by 15."

"She cashed her two week Menards check, it was 1200. Then The Shack was another 1000. And that was a small check, she told me. She works her ass off. I'm waiting for her to tell me she picked up a third job. She's trying to separate herself from the world."

"Yeah. She hasn't really had a whole lot. You know that." Otto said as he grabbed a Gatorade out of the fridge.

"Of course I know that. She's been through some of the worst things in the world. I have no idea how she's even okay after what her mother did, what her father did, the things she has seen. If you pity her though, you know she will kick your ass. Nikkie loves her life." I smiled thinking about the time she almost kicked my ass after we found out who she was, and what had happened with her parents. I had apologized and she yelled 'never feel sorry for me.'

"Why do you think Ray wanted to take her to work so bad?" Otto asked from the living room. He had turned on the TV.

"He's probably going to offer to buy her a car or pay for college. Something crazy that you know she will never take." We both started laughing, because we knew Ray would gladly offer to pay for her.

"It wouldn't be surprising." Otto said flipping on Dumb and Dumberer as I headed up the stairs.

I heard my phone ring and rushed to answer it. I caught a glimpse of Lars' name on the caller ID as I answered.

"Hey. What's up?" I asked. It wasn't exactly uncommon for Lars to call me, but it was usually about Nikkie.

"So, I'm scared that Nikkie might be uh-well..." He stammered on.

"Might be what, Lars?" I asked. Nothing came to mind as to what he was talking about.

"I think she might be pregnant." He finally said it.

"How is that even possible? Explain. Come over here. Wait, no. I'm on my way over."

"I'm actually on my break at work. You can come in if you want." He replied. I tossed my hair into a pony tail, slipped on a pair of jeans and a black rugby shirt. I stepped into a pair of flip flops, grabbed the keys to my Avalanche and jumped in.

"I will be there in ten minutes." I replied pulling out of the driveway.

"I'll be at the hardware desk." He said hanging up.

Thoughts rushed through my head. Nikkie wasn't having sex. Not that I knew of. Why would Lars assume that? Is it really possible? I can't even fathom it being true. I whipped my truck into the Menards parking lot and power walked through the door waving at everyone who remembered me.

"Alright. What the hell are you talking about?" I asked stepping up to the desk.

"She is late. I know that much." He replied.

"Well, she is super stressed all the time. It's not like she hasn't been late before." I replied. It wasn't exactly uncommon for her to be late, she was always working herself further then she should.

"All she wants to do is sleep, she barely eats now and she was throwing up last night."

"She isn't even having sex. Unless, you know something that I don't." I replied and looked around. My last reply was a little loud.

"You didn't know? Oh, well. Maybe, I'm not supposed to be talking about this."

"I didn't know what? Lawrence Rodriguez, you better spill." I whispered at him.

"Nikkie and I have been having sex for like two years now..." He paused and watched my face drop. How could I not know this?

"You have been what? How could I not know?" I was so astounded. This was such a shock to me.

"Yeah, it's been a kind of, no strings attached, kind of thing. But secretly I think it's more serious then we are letting each other believe. Neither of us are having sex with anyone else. But, she's been odd lately, and I'm concerned. What if she is pregnant?"

"Well, are you going to commit to her if she is? I mean what do you want to do if she is?" I asked, he was scared, obviously. But calm about it.

"I mean I accepted the responsibility and I have no doubt I'd make a great dad to help her raise the kid, but I don't want college to be ruined for either of us. I know she wants to go to Brown University, UCLA, Harvard or Johns Hopkins if she can get the money. I couldn't ruin that for her." Lars was truly concerned that he may have ruined any chance they had at having a good college career. I knew he wanted to go off to college too, but he had plenty of scholarships already.

"Are you saying you would want her to get an abortion?" I questioned his judgment. It wasn't the worst choice but it was a horrifying one.

"If that makes everyone's lives easier. But I would raise the kid while she went to college. Maybe I should buy her a test and not worry, quite yet." He was breathing trying to calm himself down.

"That's the best idea. Or talk to her first? Maybe she will calm you down." I told him. We had somehow managed to walk back into the grocery section and were staring at pregnancy tests.

"Maybe. Should I just buy one? Just in case? What do I buy?" His eyes glanced from test to test. There were five different brands.

"Just pick one. Were you using protection at all?" I asked, still trying to figure out how any of this could happen.

"She's on birth control. But we never used condoms." He looked slightly ashamed.

"Well, why not?" I asked him.

"I have them in my room, we just have never used them." He shook his head and picked up a three pack of pregnancy tests and we walked towards the cash registers.

"Well... I guess that happens. You'll be fine. Things will work out." He nodded his head to me as I walked out. I was insanely concerned about Nikkie now. I made a list in my head of all the reasons she would be late, it was a long list. It explained a lot. Everything with her family, her mom possibly making parole, her terrible eating habits, overworking herself with her three classes, working easily seventy hours or more a week, trying to help everyone. Nikkie was strong, but no one is strong enough to take the world plus more, which is what she doing right now. I absolutely adore her, but she really needs to take a step back and look at her life.


	3. This Crazy Life

A/N: Well, this will be chapter three. My first three chapters will all be very close in time, being the same day. Then it will spread out a little more. Just letting you know.  
And I'm very excited to see people subscribing to my story :) please leave feedback or ideas!

(Nikkie's POV)

"Ray, you really don't have to take me. Breezy will be fine if she waits a couple more minutes for me to get there." I pleaded as I got into his car. I was insanely grateful for the ride, but it wasn't necessary.

"This isn't just about the ride, okay? I want to give you an offer. Please hear me out before you say no and storm off saying you don't want a hand out. Okay?" Ray was being totally sincere. I knew that for a fact, but I could never take anything from him. He's been such an amazing father figure and helped me with plenty of problems.

"Okay." I muttered preparing myself for the conversation.

"I want to buy you a car and help you pay for college." He stated then looked at me, I tried to give no facial expressions but I knew he could tell how much I appreciated the offer, and he continued. "I know you hate hand outs, Nikkie. You fight me about paying for the pizza when you spend the night." We both laughed a little. "I have the money, I mean I'm sure Otto will go to community college, if anything at all. Reggie has plenty of scholarships and tons of offers, and I know you do too. But I want you to know I will pay for anything the college won't cover whether it's food, room and board, the full tuition. Wherever you want to go, Nikkie. I have the money." He stopped and I knew Ray, his was when my response was going to be needed.

"Ray, no. I could never take your money. I have money for college. I have the money and work ethic. I can make it on my own." I knew I had let a little anger slip in my response, but I also knew that Ray wouldn't take any offense to it, he knew me.

"Nikkie, I know you have money and the work ethic. But that is your money, keep it for yourself just in case something happens. Go buy yourself something nice. You should save your money. I will gladly pay for your college and for your car. I wouldn't hesitate for a second to pay for it all. You need a car to get around and you will go to college." He was stern and I don't want to turn him down, but its so much money. "Listen, I know you are extremely independent and I know why. This isn't a handout. This is a real offer to help you. I'm not going to just take it away. Nikkie, you are like family." Ray just called me family. No wonder this man was so dedicated to helping me.

"You want me to take an offer for you to buy me a car and to pay for college?" I said, still kind of astounded. I knew he wasn't just offering because he thought I'd turn it down. He was completely sincere about wanting to help me.

"Absolutely. Whatever car you want. I'll do my best to buy it for you. And wherever you want to go to college." He said pulling into the parking lot by The Shack.

"What if I want a Mercedes?" I joked and he smiled.

"Well, I already know you don't want one. What do you want?" He asked. I truly sat there and thought about it. Could I take his offer to buy me a car?

"I'd love a bright yellow Avalanche. But I will take anything you want to buy me." I smiled and his jaw dropped.

"You're really going to take my offer?" He asked getting out of the car along with me.

"For the car, sure. But don't spend a lot on it. I just need one that will work, Ray! And for college, I'll think about it. Okay?" I said as we headed into The Shack where Breezy was smiling and cleaning around the shop with Tito.

"Oh my god. Come here." He pulled me into a hug. "I'm so proud." He said to me with the brightest smile on his face.

"Don't make me take my offer back." I laughed and he let me go.

"I'll go out with Lars today and go pick you up a car. We will find something fantastic." His smile covered his whole face, and ultimately I'm guessing Breezy and Tito knew about it. They both smiled as I tied an apron around my waist.

"Did you make that outfit?" Breezy asked eying my skirt.

"Made the skirt myself, found this shirt in Meena's closet and well the boots I got as a Christmas present." I replied cleaning out some glasses that were sitting on the counter.

"Why don't you go shopping? You should get some new clothes." Breezy's smile had grown even bigger. This was going to be her offer to take my clothes shopping.

"I don't need new clothes, I have plenty from Christmas and birthdays." I smiled and wiped down the counter.

"Lets go shopping. I'll pay. Or you can. It'll be an early birthday present. It'll be a girls day. We can even drag Reggie." She tittered a little at the thought of Reggie having a girls day with us.

"Sure, Breezy. We can do that." I smiled gingerly at Ray and Tito. This was definitely their plan to convert me. She smiled walking away and I knew she couldn't have been happier.

"Just out of curiosity, how much money do you have?" Ray asked me. I knew it wasn't to be rude, he was honestly curious as to how much I had saved.

"Well, about two hundred thousand, if not a little more." His eyes bulged.

"How do you have that much money?" He asked staring at me.

"I haven't spent more than one hundred dollars on anything in over three years, and you know much I work. I've saved everything from work, and from birthday money and all those other random reasons people gave me money.

"Did you get anything from your dad?" He asked.

"When I turn eighteen I'll get the inheritance, I guess he thought I'd be stupid with the money. I think its like five hundred thousand dollars. My mom thought she'd get it all, even after what she did." My smile wasn't nearly as strong but I was okay talking about my family and what had happened. "You can take your offer back to pay for school or my car. It really isn't a big deal."

"Oh, Nikkie that's not why I was asking at all. I will gladly pay every last cent. That money is yours. Spend a little on yourself. And take a break for once. You work so much. Your checks from here are ridiculous with you working forty hours here, and I know your spend your life at Menards, so those checks are probably for seventy hours. How do you have time for anything?" He asked setting up some hamburgers on the grill.

"I sleep for five hours, eat on break, I have school for three hours... I don't know. I survive. I have like four or five hours a week to hang out with people. But I do that at work too." I shrugged realizing how little I actually did see people.

"You know you don't have to work all those hours here, or at Menards. I promise we will be okay and I know Menards will do just fine." Ray told me as I set the buns up on the table. and started peeling lettuce.

"I know that. I have the time I need, and I know I have to take a vacation at Menards soon. They are going to force me into a week vacation." I told him as he placed the patties on the buns. It was a snack for us before The Shack opened.

"Well, there is a perfect opportunity to go do something. Go out and have fun. Go on a road trip! HAVE FUN!" He said putting the top buns on all four burgers.

"I'll try. But Ray, I have a totally serious question. Okay?" I said grabbing my burgers.

"Yeah, shoot." He replied grabbing his two burgers and filling two glasses with water.

"Well, I might be preg-" I was cut off mid sentence.

"You might be pregnant? Nikkie, what happened? How? With who?" He stammered.

"Yeah, it would be Lars' baby. I've been on birth control, I don't know. I'm just scared. I'm going to talk to him today. Just don't tell anyone. I just need to know what to do." I told him biting into my burger.

"Well, at least we know Lars is financially sound. But what do you want to do? Do you want to keep it? Get rid of it?" He asked. Normally, a parent would say keep it, but he was putting the options on the table.

"I honestly don't know. I mean it could ruin college for both of us. But it would be our baby, our child." My heart was breaking thinking this through.

"It could, if you let it. You two are very strong people and both of you have a lot of support in your life. Colleges offer babysitting and there's always having a nanny." Ray was being honest. "But you could go through college without the baby too. I don't want to sway you either way Nikkie. Everyone will support you and the decision you make."

"What if Lars doesn't want to keep it?" I asked praying he would want everything to do with the baby.

"Lars? Really? You're going to question him wanting to keep a baby? He loves kids. Nikkie, don't be silly." He was entirely right, Lars is from a large family and loves spending every moment with his little cousins.

"What if we want to go to different schools? Or get accepted into different schools?" I stammered. That was honestly a stupid question.

"You can choose to go to the same school, Nikkie. And I will still pay for you. There is plenty of aid out there. The state. The school. Friends. Everyone." I eyed him carefully, he was being a real father figure. "Why don't you talk to Lars about it, get a test, and find out?" He told me.

"Let me work. You go get the car with Lars today and I'll work." I smiled halfheartedly. All I wanted to do was work, it would calm me down a lot.

"Okay. I'll let you win this one. We will meet you at Menards, okay?" He said and went off to help Breezy with something while I waited for people to come in. My heart was racing and all I wanted to do was cry.


	4. Her Truck

A/N: Kay so I lied a little. : ) this chapter is close too. I'm just having way too much fun with these chapters. We will see how long I can keep them close :D Man oh man. Anyone excited for this update? And feedback would be fantastic!

(Lars' POV)

"So you're buying her a car?" I asked as I drove us half an hour away to North Shores because Ray had found a yellow Avalanche.

"Yeah, and paying for college, if she will let me." Ray replied playing with my window. I knew something was up.

"Do you just buy everyone a car?" I joked. He had bought Reggie her Avalanche, helped me buy my '89 Honda, gave Sam a little extra cash for his Ford F-150, and I knew he would buy Otto a car, and he offered to help Twister out, and Clio too.

"Well, I like everyone to be happy and able to get themselves around. It's not like I can't afford to help. Breezy makes money with her little online business, and the Shack makes really good money these days, and the board shop has been bringing in more this year than ever before." Ray chuckled a little but kept fiddling with the window.

"Nikkie has plenty of money. You know that right?" I replied. I had an idea that he knew how much money she made.

"She has a lot in the bank and is getting money she inherited from her dad too. That doesn't mean I don't want to help. Why should she have to do everything on her own? She's only eighteen and living like she's forty. I don't want to see that sweet girl go down that dark road." Ray told me as he checked the street we were supposed to turn on.

"I know, I don't want to see her going that way either. She needs to splurge a little, buy herself something. I know it's hard for her though. She had to adapt to a world of everyone hurting her and leaving her behind. I'm glad she came here, honestly. I feel like with her knowing Reggie, she is set with a friend for life. And I know everyone else would be there for her, no matter what." I told him as I scanned the streets. I didn't know North Shores that well, but I did know Nikkie used to live up here. I actually know exactly where she used to live, everyone does.

"Are you going to be there for her, Lars? No matter what?" He asked. I was a little astounded. There was no doubt that I would be there for her.

"Absolutely. Why do you ask?" I let the offense come through my voice, I didn't intend to but it just came through.

"Nikkie thinks she might be pregnant." He looked at me to watch my immediate reaction, the one I couldn't control. I think he was satisfied with my reaction. I breathed and let it set in that she might be pregnant.

"I told Reggie about it this morning. I'm nervous, but I have no doubt I'll be with her through this whole thing. She can go off to college and I can watch our child. Or we can go to the same college. I'm the manager of Hardware, I'm financially sound enough to help her take care of our child. I know she makes enough money, but she is going to have to stop working as much as she does. If she's pregnant, I will help take care of our child. If she's not pregnant there is no way I'm leaving her. This 'scare' has made me see that I do actually love this girl and don't want her to just be my best friend, my hook up. I want to walk around holding her hand, giving her piggy back rides, taking her on dates. I want to be with her, Ray. I want to be with this girl regardless of what happens." The smile that lit up his face absolutely made my day.

"You're going to make a great dad one day. I think when we get to the place you should call Nikkie. Okay? I'll deal with the car." Ray told me as I turned onto Lilac Street. I saw his eyes go straight for 9714. Mine went there too. The house was now occupied with a new family, possibly not knowing what happened inside that house.

"I will." I told him as we slowly passed the house and turned on a few more streets. We found the house with the truck. It looked gorgeous and I knew Nikkie would love it. Ray climbed out of the car and I sat there staring at my phone. I hit the call button and Nikkie's name was first. Almost always was. If she wasn't sleeping over at my house I called her when I dropped her off, or just before I went to bed. We called each other if we had a nightmare, or if she needed a ride or to talk.

"Hi." She said. I knew she was heading to Menards right now.

"Hi, hun. Almost at work?" I asked.

"Yeah, luckily Breezy had some jeans, shoes and a polo here. I totally forgot to bring it and I remembered you were going with Ray so you had my clothes in your car."

"Oh, gosh I'm sorry. I didn't even think about it. There's some at my house and Brandi's too. You'll have a car soon enough though, so you can make it messy with your clothes." I joked with her and she laughed.

"We are going to have to break my car in, Lars." She laughed and I smiled.

"Nikkie, I love you." I blurted out. It wasn't meant to come out that way.

There was a pause. "I love you too, goof ball." I don't think she knew I was serious, that I wanted to be with her the rest of my life.

"I'll see you in like an hour. Ray and I will be there." I told her.

"Alright. Well, I just got here. Tell Ray thank you." She hung up the phone. I headed towards Ray, the guy was already whipping out the keys.

"How many miles are on it?" I asked eying the truck up and down.

"A little over forty-five thousand." He replied.

"How's it run?" I asked him peering inside the truck.

"It runs like a champ. You're going to get some good years out of this." He smiled. "Oh, and Ray. I've got this. You said it was for your daughter, right?"

"Well, her friend. But she might as well be mine." Ray smiled and so did I.

"Well, here. It's basically the ultimate break down kit. It was a gift from my ex and she already bought me one, so I figured you wouldn't want her breaking down and not having anything to fix her car with." He laughed and handed it over to Ray.

"Thanks Leroy. She's tough and knows a bit about cars because of this guy." Ray said pulling me in.

"Well, that's good. Gotta make sure she stays safe, and you watch out for her." It's like he knew what she meant to me.

"Ya ready to get it out of here?" He asked. Ray nodded and handed him the check. I saw it said 20,000. I cannot believe he just dropped that on a car for Nikkie, for anyone.

"Don't tell her what I spent." Ray chuckled handing me the keys. "I'll take your car." He said grabbing my keys. I smiled and climbed into the truck. We drove into the Menards parking lot and I parked in the blue area with Nikkie's truck. It was her truck. Her very own truck. Ray followed me in and walked off into the Hardware department while I headed back into Wallcoverings. Her face lit up when she saw me sauntering into the back.

"Guess who has a beautiful new truck?" I asked her and she grabbed the keys right out of my hand.

"ME!" She squealed. I have never seen her so happy.

"Think I can ask ya something, gorgeous?" She nodded at me with this bright smile on her face. "Will you be my girlfriend?" Her face changed from excitement to shock to a giant hug.

"Absolutely!" She squealed. I felt like a middle schooler asking that way and getting that response.

"I love you, Nikkie." Her face lit up again.

"You were serious? I was so scared you were just messing around. So I made it a joke. I love you, Lars." I'd never seen her so happy, it made me excited. As much as I hated those couples that said I love you in the first day, I'm pretty sure we have a special circumstance.

"I'm glad, hun. Well, I should be heading out. Going to go help Breezy out at The Shack for awhile, and wait for you to come over." I smiled.

"I'm not pregnant." She shoved the words out of her mouth and I knew she was trying to keep her cool.

"You're sure?" I asked her, slightly relieved.

"I took two tests, they were both negative." Her smile wasn't nearly as bright as it had been.

"Well, that's good. What's wrong?" I asked.

"I was a little excited to be pregnant, well totally horrified, but still excited."

"I get it. I felt the same way. We can talk about it later, okay?" I told her and kissed her lightly as I left. I found Ray looking through the candy and laughed a little.

"You ready to leave?" I asked him. He looked up from the candy.

"Almost." He replied looking through everything. I saw Mandy, the human resources manager.

"Hello, Lars. How are you doing?" She smiled at me.

"I'm good. How are you, Mandy?"

"I'm doing great. What are you doing back here?" She chuckled lightly as she saw Ray going through the candy.

"Came back to see Nikkie. Oh, huh. I don't know what protocol is about that, but...well, Nikkie and I are dating." I said nervously through gritted teeth.

"You mean, you weren't dating?" She asked with a confused look on her face.

"I just asked her out, but no. We weren't dating. Why?"

"Oh, everyone thought you two were dating." She laughed. Mandy began whispering, "There was a bet going as to when you'd propose." I laughed.

"Are you serious? Do we really seem like that?" I asked, not mad at all, just curious.

"Oh, absolutely. And I already told the upper management about you two dating, well now I guess it's official. But you two didn't know you're the talk of Ocean Shores? You're basically the couple of the eternity." Her laugh was absolutely contagious. I had no idea that everyone thought of us that way.

"That's insane. So what's the ultimate proposal date on this bet?" I asked her. Now actually thinking about proposing to that girl.

"Well, people keep pushing it back and thinking you're insane for not proposing. I know a lot of the guys here have wanted to ask her out. But this December seems to be the month with the most bets."

"Wow, really? December and February are the worst months to propose. Christmas and Valentine's Day are the last day girls want to be proposed to on. I'm thinking the day I see a ring I know she'll love is the day I'll do it."

"Nikkie is one lucky girl. That's the sweetest thing I've ever heard. You better keep her close, she's a gorgeous girl. Don't screw it up." She said smiling as she walked away.

"Trust me that's the last thing I want to do!" I said as she walked away. Ray looked at me a little astounded with his candy in his hands.

"I had no idea that everyone thought you were dating." He shrugged heading to the register. I pulled out my ID badge and gave it to Candice, the cashier.

"Back to see your girlfriend, Lars?" She said smiling.

"Did everyone think we were dating?" I asked her. She looked at me totally shocked.

"You mean you aren't?" She asked scanning items through.

"I just asked her out like five minutes ago." I said chuckling a little.

"No way. You two are so cute together. Everyone thought you were a thing. Well, congratulations. Thinking about proposing yet?" She asked as she started bagging the candy. She didn't have to, it wasn't really her job, but I knew she wanted the gossip.

"Just waiting until I find that ring." I smiled and she did too.

"Well, again congrats. You know this will be the talk of Menards now." She joked, but it was pretty true. The cashiers would all talk, and everyone else would find out. It's going to be interesting.

Ray and I headed out the door and I took him back to The Shack. "Nikkie said she took two tests and she isn't pregnant."

"That's relieving for both of you, huh?" I nodded as we drove back. We headed up to The Shack where Breezy was a little swamped. I saw Twister trying to clean a table as he dropped a cup. He still wasn't entirely coordinated.

"Hey, Twist." I said rolling up the Boardwalk to start helping out.

"Oh god." He said running back to the counter with the tray.

"Lars! You're here. Thank god." Breezy said rushing me to the back. She waved to Ray as he started flipping burgers with Tito.

"What's up, Breezy?" I asked as we headed to the office Ray had set up at The Shack.

"Okay, I know you aren't my son, and I would definitely not do this if Ray wasn't going to give Otto or Reggie Danni's ring."

"What are you talking about?" I asked her.

"Isn't Nikkie, pregnant?" She asked me.

"No. Oh god. No, she was just scared. It's all fine. You don't have to give me the ring." I told her.

"Oh, well that's a relief. But I want you to propose to Nikkie with this ring." I watched her pull out this gorgeous ring, a tungsten band with three diamonds in the center, then smaller diamonds coming down the sides.

"No way. That's yours." I told her pushing it back.

"Lars, Nikkie is the sweetest girl in the world, Ray told me what you said about her."

"But, Breezy. We've been dating for like an hour now. I mean I'd love to marry her one day. But she would never accept my proposal and I cannot take that ring." I told her again. The ring was beautiful, and perfect for Nikkie's taste but that was supposed to stay in her family.

"It was my great-grandmother's ring. I don't have my own son to give this to. You have been the best worker and you are a great person, Nikkie deserves this. You'll be a great addition to the family." She stopped for a second, "Well, I mean. You aren't exactly family, but Nikkie might as well be my daughter. I want the best for that sweet girl." I looked at the ring again, I knew it was her size. This is hard.

"Maybe you could talk to her about me, see what she says. Then I'll consider it." I told her. She knew I wanted to give Nikkie that ring, but I also wanted to spend a lot of money on a ring for her.

"This is all about you buying the ring, huh?" She asked me, as if she had read my mind.

"Well, kind of. But it's a family heir loom." I told her feeling worse and worse.

"Well, if it's about money. I can have it appraised and you can pay me. But you and Nikkie are basically family. You can just take it and wait it out to give her the ring. I want you to have it though." She wanted me to have this ring, no doubt. I hated turning her down for it.

"I will buy it from you, if I don't see anything I like. Get it appraised and I'll pay for it. But I want to go with because you won't tell me what its really worth." I told her. I knew she would tell me a fraction of the price because she felt bad.

"Fine. Let's go right now. The guys have this." She said pulling me to the boardwalk. The jewelery store was only a couple stores away. Walking in I looked at the beautiful rings on the counter, but nothing compared to Breezy's ring.

"Nicholas, do you think I can have this ring appraised?" Everyone knew Nicholas, and he knew everyone. This wasn't the first time I had been in here. I had come here with Nikkie a few times before.

"Absolutely, Breezy." He pulled those goofy glasses down and began examining the ring.

"Wow, the cut is beautiful, clear diamonds, there's a couple carats in this. This ring has to be at least a hundred years old." He muttered glancing over the ring.

"It was my great-grandmother's." She said watching him with the ring.

"The ring is set so well. This a good chunk of money. At least thirty thousand now." I turned my head to Breezy, she seemed unfazed, as if she already knew it was worth that much. "Please, don't say you want to sell this beautiful ring."

"Oh, no. I want to give it to Lars to propose to Nikkie with." She said with a brilliant smile on her face, "But he wants to pay for the ring, in his mind she won't love it if he didn't buy it."

"How long have you two been dating? At least two years, right?" He asked, still looking at the ring.

"Uh, no. Just about an hour." I said looking at the ground. I guess I see why people have thought we were dating. We have been inseparable for three years, and have been best friends since she transferred to Ocean Shores.

"Really? You two were in here looking for rings before. You bought a nice hematite ring from me. I remember it broke and how upset she was about it because it didn't give her a reaction. But a couple other bands did. You got the tungsten band engraved with her birth date in it, that seemed to work well."

"I wanted her to have a beautiful ring, like she wanted." Wow, I had been trying to buy her a ring before.

"Sounds to me like your subconscious wants you to marry this girl." Breezy smiled again. She knew all about that love, her and Ray were happy together. And Nicholas, I knew, has been married for thirty years.

"Well, regardless of what ring you give her, I know she's a girl who will appreciate it." Nicholas said.

"Oh, I know that. I want her to have something she deserves. She has never had anything truly nice and she deserves a ring, a beautiful ring. She has had men walk in and out of her life, and she has never had people to truly be there for her, until now. She's finally safe and I'm going to make sure she stays that way. She worked her way up from abuse and neglect, and now she has money and is happy. I want her to stay that way."

"That is true love." Nicholas said staring at the ring.

"I haven't told my parents at all. They won't approve of Nikkie." I said staring at the ring. I would love to give her that beautiful ring.

"They will. Who are you going to tell first?" Breezy asked. I honestly didn't know. My mom moved out three years ago when my dad started drinking heavily, she rarely comes back to see us. My dad has gotten a lot better though, he hasn't hit Twister or me in about a year. He's been calling her to come back, I doubt she ever will.

"My dad probably. But no one will be happy. She isn't Hispanic." I said. I didn't care, but they would care.

"They will love her for everything she is and won't even care." Nicholas said smiling. Everyone knew Nikkie, but it was usually for what happened with her family.

"I hope so. I want to marry her and keep her insanely happy." I was so happy thinking about Nikkie.

"Well, take the ring and if you find something better then you can give this one back." She said to me. I knew she was being sincere, even though the ring was worth so much she was just giving me this ring.

"Here." Nicholas said handing me a case as he put the ring in. "Nikkie is one lucky girl. Trust me, she will love feeling so appreciated by so many people. Don't think for a second that she doesn't love you. Everyone sees how you look at each other. She wants you to stick around." He told me as he put the box into my hand.

"Well, I'm going to stick around." I knew my face was slightly flushed from the overwhelming feeling of everything but I couldn't be happier. "Breezy, I'm going to go find Reg. Alright?" I told her as I left and waved good-bye to her and Nicholas. I jumped in my car and drove up to the Rocket's house. Walking into the house I knew she would be upstairs in her room, probably typing away at her new Zine.

"Reggie?" I said climbing the stairs.

"I'm in my room. Come in." She said through a shut door. Pushing the door open she was sitting there in just a towel.

"Oh god. Sorry, I didn't know you weren't decent." I said backing up.

"Oh, shut up. Its not like you haven't seen me naked before." She muttered. It is true. I had.

"That was forever ago." I muttered.

"Oh, a year is so long ago." She said dropping her towel to the floor. I couldn't help but stare. I'd always found Reggie attractive, but who is Ocean Shores didn't find her attractive?

"Reggie! What are you doing?" I asked. She was just kind of walking around her room, searching for something.

"Finding clothes." She said grabbing a pair of yoga pants off the floor.

"Ahh!" I shouted and covered my eyes. I was starting to get turned on. This was the last thing I wanted.


	5. The Almost HookUp

A/N: Oh, Reggie. You and your drama. :D

(Reggie's POV)

"What? Do you have a problem seeing me naked now?" I asked him. The 'thing' we had last year was fantastic.

"No, you're still gorgeous. But I'm with Nikkie. I came here to talk about it. And it was two years ago, not one." I saw his eyes peeking through his fingers.

"You don't want just one more rendezvous with me?" I put on my sexiest voice as I grabbed a bra from the floor.

"Reggie! Nikkie is your best friend. What are you thinking?" He shouted. Sure she was my best friend, but a good lay is a good lay.

"I'm not thinking about anything. Well, just about that late night road head." I sauntered over to him and put my hand on his waist band.

"Reggie! Stop it." He stammered stepping back.

"What you don't miss me giving you head?" I asked grabbing for his pants again as he took another step back.

"Goddamnit, Reg! I get great head from Nikkie. Freaking back off. Put some damn clothes on and talk to me or I will tell Nikkie what you're doing." I heard the anger in his voice. I was truly astounded that he didn't want to do anything.

"Fine." I said stepping into my yoga pants and putting my bra over my arms. "Hook it, pelase?" I said. His fingers brushed my back as he hooked my bra. He let his hand go up to my shoulder and slowly let his hand graze down my back. Just like he did when we used to hook up. I turned to face him and saw that look on his face. That I want you, but this is so wrong look. I waited, I didn't want to make the first move if he was really going to go through with this.

"This isn't right." He said taking a step back. I could see it in his eyes that he was ready to jump right on me. I stepped back until I reached my bed. Sitting down I looked up at him. Slowly he made his way over. Why was I not stopping him? This was wrong in every way possible. Nikkie was my best friend, and now his girlfriend. I unzipped his jeans and pulled out his penis. He was slightly hard. I pulled him into me and started going down on him. He pushed me back onto my bed and he pulled a condom out of my dresser drawer. I knew this was wrong and I knew he was thinking about Nikkie because he pulled a condom out. I let him slip the condom on as he pulled my pants off. This was purely about sex because he refused to kiss me at all. I could feel the tip of his penis right at my vagina, and pushing in but he stopped.

"No, no, no. I cannot do this to her." He took the condom and threw it on the floor and zipped up his pants. He sat on my computer chair as I put my clothes on.

"I'm sorry Lars." I muttered sitting on my bed. I didn't want to get too near him. I saw the shape of a box in his pocket, a jewelery box. "What's that?" I asked pointing to the box.

"The engagement ring I wanted to give Nikkie. I really don't deserve her." He muttered pulling the box out. I took the box and examined it. I recognized this ring.

"Is this Breezy's ring?" I asked staring at the ring. It had to be. This is the ring Otto tried to pawn to buy a new snowboard. Until Sam talked him out of it.

"Yeah, she wants me to give it to Nikkie." He said taking it back. He turned it over and over.

"This ring is worth a lot of money. Why is Breezy giving it to you?" I was a little offended. Why wasn't I getting the ring or Otto?

"She wants me to give it to Nikkie. I told you that. She thinks Nikkie deserves this ring. I can't propose now." He was so upset and stricken.

"No, you can. You didn't do anything. You got away from the temptation. But I don't think you should give her Breezy's ring. She would want you to buy her a ring." I said, I was hoping to get this ring. Hoping the guy I fall for would ask my father's permission to marry me.

"No, she wouldn't. She would die if I paid for a ring, especially one this expensive." This ring was worth a lot of money. When Otto tried to pawn it the guy was going to give him three thousand, and if that's what a pawn shop wants then the ring is really worth money and he knew he could make money off it. "She would make me give the ring back to Breezy if I had given her the thirty thousand for it." My jaw dropped. Thirty thousand dollars for a ring?

"You were going to pay Breezy for it?" I asked, he was willing to pay that kind of money for Nikkie? You could buy a car with that money.

"I wanted to, but Breezy told me no. That she thinks Nikkie and I will be a great addition to the family." Breezy considered Nikkie her daughter, her own daughter.

"So, who knows about Nikkie being pregnant?" I asked assuming Breezy had to know to give him the ring.

"Nikkie isn't. She took two tests, and I told Breezy that. So don't think that is what's going on." He put the ring back in his pocket.

"So Breezy just gave you the ring. Didn't ask for anything?" I cannot believe she would do that.

"She knew how much it was worth, I could tell when Nicholas told her. I bet its worth more and she told him to lie. She wouldn't let me give her any money for it." I saw him text Nikkie.

"How are you going to propose?" I asked, everything crashing around me. I couldn't believe he was proposing.

"I really don't know. Something cute. Maybe leaving clues around work. Or leading her to a restaurant." I could tell he was trying to think it through.

"Well, doing it at work would be cute. Letting people in on it. Have her going from department to department. Maybe get Mandy to help you set it up?" I told him. I couldn't deny my best friend happiness.

"But how? What can I do? Maybe Mandy can leave the first clue in Nikkie's paperwork. But what could it be?" He was really thinking this through.

"Make it her favorite things, like candy, smell, food. It's a little harder with all the departments. But the first clue could be something about why you remember its her favorite candy?" I told him trying to suggest what I could.

"How could I end it? Should I be at the store? Ah! Why do men put themselves through this?" His hands were pulling at his shaggy brown hair.

"Because they love beautiful girls like Nikkie. It doesn't have to spectacular. Why not lead her to the hardware department and be standing at the desk with the ring in your hand. But wherever your last clue is have a note in the box to lead her to the desk." His eyes were bright with delight. And he took off without saying anything.

"OH MY GOD!" Otto yelled running down the hall.

"What?" I shouted thinking something bad had happened.

"He's proposing to Nikkie?" Otto said as he came into my room.

"I guess so." I said pulling up my Zine. For the first time ever, there was going to be an engagement column.

_'Ocean Shores sweetest couple, finally engaged!_  
_Two years have passed since the two became_  
_intimate. Best friends for six years, and now_  
_they are engaged. The infamous Ocean Shores_  
_resident, Lars Rodriguez and the beautiful North_  
_Shores dame Nikkie Ketalusky are officially_  
_engaged. He set up an elaborate scheme at the_  
_local Menards, where they work together  
and lead her straight to him with__ an absolutely  
stunning ring in his hands. The ring he_  
_acquired from Breezy Rocket, a priceless family_  
_heirloom. We are unofficially taking Nikkie and_  
_Lars into our family, and are gladly helping the_  
_wonderful young couple out._

_Best of luck to you guys!_  
_Love your best friend,_  
_Reggie Rocket'_

Otto stared at the article. "I cannot believe Breezy gave up her ring. Gave it to Lars and Nikkie." He continued to stare at it, as if that would change anything.

"I can't believe it either but they are happy. As long as they are happy." I stammered looking at the article I had just written. It was only a rough draft, I'd make it elaborate and beautiful, let all of Ocean Shores know and everyone who reads my online blog.

"Where did he go?" Otto seemed a bit upset, and I understood why. He was crushing on Nikkie and had finally lost something to Lars.

"I think to go set up his elaborate plan. I still don't understand it. They are so young. Lars is eighteen and Nikkie is going to be eighteen soon. You can tell they love each other though, those looks they give each other." I sighed and tapped at my keyboard. Thinking how could they by going into college wanting to be engaged, to be wed, to have the thought of a child. They were doing it all wrong. College was about the hook-ups and fun times.

A/N:  
This chapter was originally just covered in drama, but too much drama makes for a stupid story, so just a little bit but you NEVER know what could happen in college ;D  
YAY drama.  
Keep reviewing and feedback is loved!  
Don't forget to suggest things, nothing wrong with that!


	6. The Plan

A/N: Almost wish my fiance would be this creative. Ah, the thought I've put into this. : )

(Lars' POV)

"Mandy. I have the ring." I said pulling it out of my pocket, her face lit up.

"That is beautiful, Lars! How much was it?" She turned the ring over and over.

"It's worth over thirty thousand, but Breezy Rocket gave it to me. She wants Nikkie to have the ring. But I want to propose here. I want to make an elaborate list of clues to lead her around the store. Do you think we can do that?" I asked. We walked over to the front end where Susie, Matthew, and the GM of the store, Andrea.

"Oh my god! You're going to propose! FINALLY?" Andrea nearly yelled, she was so excited. I didn't even have to say anything. All of them admired the ring.

"Wow, man how much did you drop on this ring?" His fingers ran over the diamonds.

"Nothing, but its worth over thirty thousand dollars. Breezy gave it to me. She basically begged me to propose to Nikkie with this ring." Their jaws dropped and I watched the girls' eyes light up.

"How are you going to propose?" Susie asked holding the ring in her hand, her eyes admiring the ring.

"Well, I want to do it here. Lead her around the store, and I'll be at the hardware desk with the ring in hand."

"Absolutely. How can we help?" Andrea asked, her smile bright as day.

"I need to figure out clues to send her all around the store. I need things she loves. I'm thinking the first clue, you could slip into her morning paperwork. It'll lead her to her favorite candy. Something like..." I thought it through, something creative. "The nights you sent me out at three a.m. begging me to bring you a delicious treat, find your next clue." I smiled and they did too.

"She sent you out at three a.m. to get candy?" Matthew laughed, "You are whipped man."

"Well, she is a great girl. You'd deny someone like Nikkie candy at three a.m.?" I muttered thinking the clue through again.

"Alright. You win that one." He laughed. "You are way too into this girl, you're eighteen man."

"Shut up Matthew!" Susie smiled at me, the girls were enamored.

"Alright, what's next?" Mandy asked. "What about her love for movies."

"Yeah. Her favorite movie that I know we have is Grown Ups, we saw it seven times in theaters." I laughed, she really had made me go seven times. "So how about 'late nights at movie theaters, we'll never grow up?"

"Why are you so cute?" Andrea muttered. "I'm so jealous, my husband wasn't nearly this elaborate."

"Ah, what young love will do to you." Mandy chuckled.

"How about something to do with her wood shop class?" Matthew asked looking through the store.

"Perfect, the saws. I SAW you hard at work on the first day of freshman year."

"Wonderful! What about something from your life? Something you did together." Andrea smiled. They were so excited about this.

"Lil Scotty's playtime can never be forgotten as he crashed into your life." They all kind of looked at me, with that what does the represent? "Those car play mats back in floor coverings."

"That makes a lot more sense." Andrea chuckled.

"An allergic reaction the first time you slept in my bed." I was trying to recall memories. "She's allergic to Tide laundry detergent, my mom used it. Got to find out the hard way she's allergic to it." They all laughed.

"We need something from electrical, mill work, and building materials, and back to the hardware desk." Mandy said thinking about the clues.

"You light up my night as you head up my walk way." I muttered, it wasn't perfect.

"What about the time your ceiling fan almost fell on her?" Susie asked and we all laughed, I remember that.

"TV on, whirring noises, a crashing thud, glass shattered, only saved by the pull of your sweater." I smiled, and they did too.

"How did it almost fall?" Matthew asked through a laugh.

"Well, she threw her panties up there during sex and I don't even know what happened after that. But it fell and I had pulled her back onto the bed and down the fan came." I laughed, if I hadn't wanted her so bad she would have been hit with a ceiling fan.

"Alright, mill work and building materials are going to be the hardest. Has she ever locked herself out of her house?" Andrea asked thinking of the items in the mill work department.

"No, but she is always losing her keys, maybe send her to the key machine?" I stated and thought through a clue.

"You'd lose your head if it wasn't attached, maybe you should get a copy made." Matthew chuckled, somehow it was perfect for her and they knew it.

"Maybe you should have a copy of our key made for her. Like your house key or car key attached to the note?" Andrea said smiling.

"Amazing. Now building materials. What could I lead her to in there?" This one we actually sat there and thought about.

"Well, what about a project she made? Has she made you anything?" Mandy asked.

"She made me this neat little table that I use. It's oak." I smiled, and that was it.

"But there's a lot of oak." Susie muttered, and there was an entire section.

"Well, we can put the ring box there. She'll see that. Then we put the note inside to lead her back to the desk." This was the most brilliant plan I could ever dream of.

"So what are you going to write on the note to send her back to the desk?" Matthew asked looking over the clues they had already come up with.

"How about now you've followed the clue there's a surprise hidden at the desk of your favorite manager?" Mandy offered. We all nodded. She wrote down the final clue on the paper.

"So, we should write these on bright paper and hide them in the section where they will lead her to. Does she work tomorrow?" I asked Mandy.

"She starts at eight. Think you can be here by seven thirty?" Andrea offered up.

"Absolutely. I can be here whenever you need me. I owe you guys so much." There was excitement on all their faces as Matthew handed us the bright colored paper.

I wrote the first and last clue for her because they were the most important. I wrote a real grabber for her, I knew she couldn't resist. 'You have an assignment to find your surprise, you must follow the clues and recall some memories to bring you from one clue to the next. Do what you may to find your clues.'

"So I'll come in and hide the clues. Then hide out back here until she finds the final clue back in building materials and then run to the hardware desk."

"This is going to be fantastic." Andrea squealed.

"Well, I'm going to run off before she catches me here again." I joked and ran out the door. I headed back to The Shack to tell Breezy everything.

"You really did all that? Oh my god! That's so cute!" She screamed and hugged me.

"Yeah, it's going to be amazing. I don't know what she'll say."

"Are you kidding me? That girl is so in love with you." She chuckled as Ray walked into the room. She couldn't resist telling him everything about it.

"Breezy, how much is that ring really worth?" I asked fingering the box in my pocket.

"It's priceless, silly." She smiled. I knew she would never tell me what it was worth.

"Well, I have to head home. I'm sure Nikkie will be getting off work soon. I know she will want to see me." I smiled and headed out of The Shack where I waited at my house for her to get there. The news of me proposing was already spreading like wild fire around Menards, I had fifteen texts about how cute it is.


	7. Secrets

A/N:  
Hello, everyone! Hope you enjoy this post!

(Nikkie's POV)

"Larssssss!" I shouted up the stairs as I finally had gotten to his house. I almost walked instead of taking my car because I totally forgot it was now my very own car.

"Hey hun!" He shouted as I ran up the stairs and bounded into his room.

"I was just stopping by to see you, I'm going home tonight to go see Amanda. But I wanted to thank you for being so amazing today and bringing my car by. How much did Ray spend on it? It's absolutely beautiful." My words rushed out. It was hitting me again that Lars was actually my boyfriend now.

"He told me I'm not allowed to tell you." His smile always made my day as I pushed my lips against his.

"Fine, fine. I know you won't give in. I love you gorgeous. I'll see you tomorrow though, right?" I asked trying to think if he had to work tomorrow.

"I work at nine, so I'll be in. We can go on a date after work too. Go grab some lunch and a movie?" Lars smiled lightly, and I couldn't have been more excited.

"Sounds fantastic as long as you buy me a pretzel and a smootie!" I squealed.

"Absolutely, silly. Anything for you." Lars was smiling brighter than ever.

"Alright, well I'm going to head out. Do you know if Twist is home? Amanda wanted to see him."

"He's in his room. I think." I kissed Lars lightly and bounded into Twister's room.

"Hello, sir. My lovely sister would enjoy your accompaniment tonight." A smile crossed my face as I heard Lars laugh from his room.

"Alright, alright." He muttered stepping into his shoes and following me down the hall. It was honestly quite entertaining how much Twister really had changed in the past few years. He was now six feet and a nice set of abs. He actually wasn't as dumb as most people thought, he had A's and B's on all his report cards. We were all quite proud.

"So why am I coming with?" He asked as we walked out the door.

"Well, one you get to ride in my new truck and two my sister wants to hang out." I smiled and pulled out my keys. His face lit up.

"Oh my god! Let's go!" He yelled running to my truck. It was like heaven driving the truck, it was perfection. A smooth ride, amazing air conditioning, perfect sound system.

"I love how you are excited because we are taking my truck." I said pushing it into reverse.

"Do you see his thing? How did you get it?" He asked as I started driving towards the house. I just realized I hadn't told my family about my new truck.

"Ray bought it for me. He won't tell me how much he spent, but I won't complain." I rubbed my hands over the steering wheel. It was really a beauty.

"That man is insane. He loves to buy cars for people. Between him and Breezy, I don't know who is worse." I laughed a little when he hit his hand over his mouth.

"Yeah, she is taking me shopping." I watched him breathe a sigh of relief, and knew that I had definitely missed something.

"What happened? What?" I asked pulling onto my street. He looked at me and shook his head. "What happened?" I asked again.

"Nothing. I don't know." He stammered. I pulled into my driveway and he literally ran out the door into the house. I shut off the car and walked in. I saw Twister in Amanda's room whispering quickly. I thought about listening in but walked by to my room, only to hear the word 'engagement ring'. There is no way that had to do with me.

"Twisterrrrr! Shhhh!" Amanda snapped at him.

"What? I'm sorry! I don't know what I was thinking. I'm sorry!" His voice was raised slightly, not in anger, almost embarrassment.

"Just breathe." I heard her mumble to him. "She doesn't know." There is literally no way that can be about me. Why would Lars have a ring? He wouldn't be proposing, would he?

"I'll be back." I yelled walking towards the front door.

"Where ya off to?" My dad asked. By my dad, I really mean Anthony Klasky. He's actually Amanda's father but they took me in when no one else would. They had to keep me out of a foster home.

"Heading to the shack." I murmured grabbing my keys again.

"Who's car is that?" He asked and a smile crossed my face.

"Mine. Ray bought it for me." I chuckled and I watched a smile come across his face. It was almost striking, I had never seen him smile like that.

"I'm glad, that's really good, hun. I'm proud. Well, drive safe. Are you going to be home for dinner?"

"Yeah. Why are you proud?" I asked taken aback.

"Well, you accepted an obviously expensive gift. You hate when we pay for groceries. I remember back when we first took you in all you did was find chores to do, to earn your share." We both laughed, I remember that too.

"I'll definitely be home for dinner. I'll text you if I'll be late."

"Bye, Nikkie." He smiled pulling the door open for me.

"Bye, dad." I said heading out the door. Jumping into my truck I drove off to The Shack. I had to find Breezy and I knew she would still be here.

"Breezy, what do you know?" I asked moving behind the counter.

She looked around quickly. "Know about what?" Oh, she knew something. No doubt.

"I don't know. An engagement ring?" That's when she laughed. Just started cracking up.

"Oh, you're so goofy babe. Oh, here." She said handing me a pair of dark wash blue jeans.

"What are these for?" I asked. I had never seen them before.

"I bought them and they aren't big enough for me."

"Oh, you're such a liar. You bought these for me." We both laughed.

"Yeah. Hush. But an engagement ring? What's that about?" She asked.

"I overheard Twister and Amanda say something about one. Curiosity, I suppose." I muttered. She definitely knew something.

"You think Lars would be getting you a ring?" She asked moving a pile of papers.

"I don't know. That's why I'm so curious." I looked around at the papers. She put them back in the same spot.

"What if he did?" She asked leaning against the desk.

"I'd be excited. I mean, I don't know. We just started dating but apparently people thought we were dating two years ago. Guess I missed that notice." We both giggled.

"Well, he's the kind of guy who is going to wait on that commitment, took him tow years to finally ask you out." She laughed.

"Alright, fine, fine. I'll see you tomorrow." I said heading out of The Shack grabbing a milk shake on my way out. Leaving the parking lot it was nearly six, almost dinner time. I pulled into the drive way and saw Twister on the roof. Sadly, I wasn't surprised by this. Not that it was a daily occurrence, just he really had a knack for doing things like that.

"Please explain." I said as he waved from the roof.

"Yo-yo." Wow, good job Twister I'm not even going to ask.

I walked in the house to overhear Amanda's voice coming from the upstairs.

"Twistttttt, did he show you? Oh my god! It's gorgeous." Alright, something was definitely going on.

"No, he didn't. Let me see." He said from the window as I walked by. Amanda freaked out and threw her phone at Twister.

"I already know something is going on." I said walking into the kitchen.

"Dinner is done." Mary-Anne called from the stove. Mary-Anne is mom, well, Amanda's mom. I rushed over to the stove to grab her freshly made mashed potatoes and heaped corn onto my plate and a piece of chicken. Sitting at the table she handed me a glass of sweet tea.

"Thanks." I said smashing into my food while everyone else got their food. I saw the tension between Twister and Amanda. As I finished dinner I went into my room. I pulled my laptop onto my bed and started messaging Lars. Slowly, I fell asleep.

A/N:  
Well, sorry I didn't update. But I hope you enjoyed!


	8. The Ring

A/N: I know, random update. I'm not sure if anyone is reading this but it is still fun to write. :)

(Nikkie's POV)

"Ohhhh, I'm going to be late!" I ran around trying to find clothes to put on for work. I threw on a polo and fastened my jeans. I then remembered I ave my own car and don't have to walk. I let it sink in that I had an extra fifteen minutes. I stepped into my shoes, brushed my hair out, brushed my teeth and even had time to put on some eyeliner and toss my hair into a neat pony tail. Walking out the door I headed to Menards, everyone seemed to be in an amazing mood as I walked in. I headed back towards hardware to put on my apron and clock in. I peered at our to do list then headed upfront to get my paper work.

"Morning Susie, Mandy, Matthew." I smiled grabbing my radio and paperwork.

"Morning sweetie." Mandy said smiling.

"What's this?" I asked looking at the first page attached to my paperwork.'You have an assignment to find your surprise, you must follow the clues and recall some memories to bring you from one clue to the next. Do what you may to find your clues.'

They all shrugged their shoulders, 'Remember those nights I was sent out at three a.m. to bring you a sweet treat? Now find the next clue.'

"Follow the clues, I guess." I kind of looked at it again. Well, why not? How could I honestly turn down a challenge. I knew it was from Lars, who else would I send out at three to get me candy? Looking through the candy, what had I sent him out for? Reese's. I grabbed the first bar and tore the clue off the back.

'Late nights at movie theaters, we'll never grow up?' "Late nights, never grow up." I said heading towards the back of the store, Grown Ups. Our favorite movie.

Picking up the case I smiled, I wonder what he is doing this for. Reading the next clue, 'I SAW you hard at work on the first day of freshman year.' We had been friends before high school but we started talking when a board got jammed in the table saw, Lars turned the machine off right away and saved us all from a wreck. Heading to hardware I looked at the saws, it was even attached to a Masterforce saw.

'Lil Scotty's playtime can never be forgotten as he crashed into your life.' I smiled and giggled, the first time I saw Lil Scotty we had just bought him one of the car play mats and he was so excited he literally crashed into me knocking me over onto the floor. I walked into floorcoverings and pulled the note off one of the mats.

'An allergic reaction the first time you slept in my bed.' Oh my, the day we learned the hard way that I'm allergic to Tide laundry detergent, I headed up towards the front of plumbing a pulled the note from the contained.

I laughed as I read the next clue, 'TV on, whirring noises, a crashing thud, glass shattered, only saved by the pull of your sweater.' I cannot believe he brought that up. I was almost attacked by his fan. What a goof. I checked three different sections before I found the right one and started reading the note. I couldn't believe how inventive he was about all of this.

'You'd lose your head if it wasn't attached, maybe you should get a copy made.' I crossed back to go into Millwork to the key machine, where a copy of my truck key hung on a chain with another clue attached. He knows me far too well, this is insanely entertaining.

'Warm and dry clothes, and don't forget about getting stuck.' Wow, the time we played hide and seek and I got stuck in the dryer! I almost totally forgot about those days. I headed into the cab apps department and grabbed the note out of a dryer. There must be a clue in every department.

'A tree chopped down, now a neat little table.' I headed to building materials and went straight to oak, I knew that's what I had made his table out of. I saw a black box resting upon a stack of oak boards. Grabbing the box I pulled it open and smiled at the final clue, 'Now you've followed the clue there's a surprise hidden at the desk of your favorite manager.'

"Is he going to propose?" I asked myself out loud as I headed back through Menards to get to the hardware desk. There he was, with his typical smile on his face.

"What is this about, Lars?" I sauntered over to the desk.

"Nicole Ashley Ketalusky, will you marry me?" He held out the most beautiful ring I had ever seen in my life.

"Oh my god, Lars!" I squealed and noticed everyone who worked at Menards had made their way back to see what was going on.

"Is that a yes?" The smirk on his face made me giggle.

"Oh, absolutely!" I kissed him as he pushed the ring onto my finger.

"How much did you spend on this?" I asked as people slowly dissipated after saying their congratulations.

"Nothing, Breezy gave it to me." He smiled.

"That is why she wouldn't say anything!" I screamed and kissed Lars again.

"You are crazy." He smiled and kissed my forehead.

"Yeah, I know, well go clock in dear. We will surely be hearing about this all day." I smiled and watched him head over to pain to get ready for the day.

I smiled at my ring and stared over and over. I was a senior in high school and engaged to my best friend. Could life be any better?


End file.
